Reversible switch point guard



Oct'. 6, 1931. L. H, FULTON 1,826,657

REVERSQIBLE-SWITCH POINT GUARD Original Fu'iled Nov. 50, 1929 f. y F7-ff- 1/f M, f:

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.c ing or wedge block; and the head piece that j they may be wedgedbetween the base joit the j ,thor

5; Another object Patented` Oct.`6,`"1931 I 'laws-If stares PATENT 7 FFME @riYILn ,1L runnen, enimssrvannnEntremeses, nssrenon 'To aan; Armreifen cony resection, for y nessivlnnn, `Tri\r:1.frvssien, a sonnen-Arron or TENNESSEE l'anva-iasristn SWITCH .earns suenan Appneatmnniea'inventer eaaeeaseriaino; 41.0392, Renewed July 21,1931. e

' inrention 'relatesy toA guards applied to the'rail of a vtrack 4inilroiit or" :a'switch point,

o t'liefguard acting 'to shiltthewheel' inward a slight degree to prevent the llange of the rail i'roin splitting Lthe switch and 'the invention particularly relatesftoicerta'in improvements;r in theswitchv `point*protector which forms jthe'subject-matter of Patent 1,649,954 granted to me on November 22,1927.

' AGenerally speaking, .the present invention y hasy for its objects to reduce the lcost of the protector,-. to increase its life, and facilitate replacement whennecessary and more4 par Vticular'ly it has :for-*sone of y itsl objects,` the 1 i5 formation of Vthe'. guard-in two sections, one

Y of these sections constituting ablad-e or head Y piecea'nd ythe otlierisection-constituting a Y block supportingtherwear' piece" or blade in proper relation to the head' of the rail, thus 2c permitting the head piece or blade to be made 'fof relatively expensive materjah'while the support-ing bloclrniay be made oi cheaper Inaterial, this rcons.ti-notien' pierinittinthelieadl n piece orblade tobefreplaced.when'necessary vv without requiring the replacement of the entire guard. Y o .n 'VA' further objiectlintlns connection is' to provide ahead piece or` blade lwhich is 1 .double so that whenjone portion of thevblade v'3e or lieadjpiece has been wor-rito an undue eX-'v tent, theylieadppiecelmaybe reversed .to supe portan unworn portion lin conjunction with the rail head, thusffdoubling the life of this .blade or head piece. f v y A `l'further ,obj ect isto so form the supportrail andthehead of the rail and will. be

i mfheldv in place by this action even lltliebolt which is 'ordinarily used for Yholding thaw-edge bloclrfinplace and foreingk it inward "be a cned.V z'. i

Ilolateral shift/iiiVD to the wedge block.'

y@ther objects will appear kin thecourse of f Sarthe following description.

ccidentlybrolren kkor loose` 'My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinz- Figure 1 is a sidey elevationfo'f a main rail anda portion of .the switch point with my guard applied thereto; i

Figure 2 is a top plan 4view of the main rail switch Vpoint and guard, as shown in Figure 1; l Figure 3 is a section on the Figure 1; l a

In these drawings,l A designates kthe main rail, a 'the head 03E the main rail and b the base or flange of the main rail.v The switch point is designated C. My improved guard is disposed in advance of the switch point. The guardconsists of a wedge block orfsup# porting block designated 10 and the head piece which is designated 14. The block 10 has a thickness less than the distance from the outside face of the head a to the web of the rail orthe width of the flange b.

' 'The under face of the member 10 is ybeveled as at l1 togli-t against the beveled face of `the `flange 7); 'The vupper face of this block is likewise beveled as at 12 downwardly and inwardly. This upper face is preferably pro vided at spaced points with the upwardly projeet'ing triangular transversely extending teeth 13 which -iitinnotches 13a formed in the head piece 14.

The wedge block 10 or supporting block is preferably formed of malleable iro-n and may .have any desired length-but preferably in actual kpractice will be madefrom four to sixincheslongf The head. piece 14 is formed to lit upon the line 3%3- of yupper beveled iace 12 of .the wedge block 10 and in cross section is so formed as to provide the reversely directed offsetportions or blades y15 of the head piece 14, as indicated in Figure v2has its upper edge beveled ortapered to ."ward the' ends.

Thusthe upperredge of each( portion 14 is relatively thin and straight." In vertical section, each blade 15 extends downward and outward in a curve as shown in Figure 3, but this blade 15 becomes more and c more tapered longitudinallyas it nears theL y `v the basevbfof the rail.

'y is Lamps? It is' to be noted that thehead, piecel I4 is not'apertunedforthe passage4 -ofany bolts vandthat there .are no inw-axially projecting 'flan-gesch this head piecenoris Vthis head pieceV unnecessarily thickpand 4that it Yonly entends downward a tractionofthe distance between the treadlsuriiaee of the' rail A and Thusf't-his head piece is'relatively .lightin weight and requires' :aprel-atively small amount Vci material to torni it,thns`reducing the cost cima-king thishead pieceof high grade inanganese steel The-head piece maybe readily cast or rolled. `The aperture for the bolt or bolts is disposed entirelythrough the wedge blockvl'Ovand this wedge block does not have i ing. through the wedge block l0, it will be to be highly" finished so that the costof. the wedge block Vis reduced :evier otherformsof guardV device known to me wherein Y.a sup-y porting block for the guard is used. l Vhile I have illustrated one boltas passy understood that it is within the per View of my invention to use more than one bolt if desirable but in actual practice I have foundY that one bolt isamply sufficient in view of the wedging `action secured..

I am aware of the fact that guard or pro.

tector devicesfof this character have been made and used Vwherein a detlector member has been provided having a plurality of in- .y clined surfaces, the defiector member being vshi-[table to place anyone of these inclined surfaces in service or operative position with Y relationA to the rail. In such case the detlectorl member is of relatively large size so that it extends from the upper surface of the head ci the rail nearly tothe beveled tace of the base flange brand, therefore, rif made of manganese ysteel is relatively costly. Y Furthermore, it is rendered costly by the tact that it is held in position in engagement with the loose',` the deector ymember will either fall frailV not by any wedging action whatsoever, but by bolts which niustpass through the de#` liclector member proper Vas well as through theY supporting block therefor, thus requiring i that the deliector member shall becored when cast. `Furthenin this formof device, the deflecl termenib'er is lsupported entirely by the bolts passing through it so that it does not wedge in its place and if the bolt breaks or becomes Vout or become loosejand, of course, it it be- Vvcernes loose, it will constitute a dangerous ob-` struction.. My defiector member, which is yconstituted'by the partrld, when supported by the block l() cannot get out of place-even 1 though the bolt break or become loose.

Itis because the ybolt passes; throughthe p supporting or wedging block and doesr not. pass through the head piece that it is possible to usethe sameh'eadlpiece with various weightsor sizes of rails andit is because in all Iotherdevices known tome of this charac- -justed inward to wedge thehead tei', thelooltpasses through what may be terined'the :head piece as well as through the supportylwhere the support and head piece are .made separately, thaty 4it is necessary to change not only the height ot the supportingvv thetapering end of a switch point, and means torfwedgiiig the .same between the head and base of arailwayrail iii advance of a switch point,l lsuch means enabling either of the roundedsiirfaces to be placed in operative position' without removing the remainder of the device. f

=2.@A' railway switch point protector including a hea-d piece having two longitudinally and vertically rounded blades for delecting the flange of a` railway wheel from the tapering end of -a switch point, and a'wedge block formed at its upperedge to bear against the adjacent edge of the head piece and at its -lower edge against the base of the rail, and

ai bolt passing through the wedge block and i adapted to pass through the web of the rail the wedge block being spaced from the rail andv being disposed exterioily to the head piece whereby said wedge block may be adpiece upward againstthe head ofthe rail.

a headypiece formed with two. Voiset oppositelyl'irojecting'deflecting blades, each longitudinally andvertically` rounded,l and a wedge block to support,thehead piece formed at itsupperfedge tobear against the adjacent faceot the head piece, and at its lower edgeto 'have ywedging engagement with the base of arail, and means whereby the wedge block may be engaged with a rail. f y

L1A railway switch point guard including a head piece formed with two oi'setoppositely projecting' deflecting blades, Veach longitudinally and. vertically rounded, and a 'wedge block formed at" its loweredge to wedgeagainst the base of the rail, the upper edgeof the wedge block being adapted to have engagement withV and to support the headpiece and hold itr against the side and, under faceof a'rfail head,vtli'e inner face of the wedgeblock adjacent its upper edge beingrecessedto conform to and partially receive the depending blade.

5. A railway Switchpoint protector einbodying a head piece having two oll'set oppo- ...its 3. yArailway switch-point guardincluding Y iin IRi

ifea

'sitely kprojecting defleetirig blades eachl lonl Y* gitudinally and vvertically yrounded,eaoh blade Vhaving 'a relatively .lat inner surface bothfvertically'and longitudinally, the outer surfacefof each blade tapering.Y toward its endsv and upward toward thejends ofthej blade, and a wedgejbloekfornied'at its lower f head piecewith'fiits blades extending respec-y edge to'bearfagainsty andl have wedging engagement with the'b'ase flange of a trail' and havingitsupperedge Vface downwardly and inwardly inclined whereby 'to'V Support rthe tively yupward and inward-fand downward blockV adjacent itsupper edge beingreeessed l vertically rounded outerv surface, the inner face ofi the supporting block, being spaced from "the web orI` thevv rail,l theflower beveled to lit Vthe iinclination'of thek upper Y a switchfpoint guard inounted thereon includ ing a headpiece anda wedge block,4 the head. 1

piece being forlnedto providetwo offset vopl positely projecting' deflecti'ng blades, each longitudinally andi' vertically rounded;V the wedgeblock'beingformed at its up'perrend toibear `against the adjacent'fac'e'of the head piece, with one'of said blades projecting upward andtheV other blade proJecting downward-and Vbearing against Y-theinside face of the wedge block, the lower edge of the wedge blockbeing beveled to fit against the'upper beveled iaceof the `rail base, and ak bolt passv.singe.through the wedge block kand through the Bange of therail,'eachof'said blades being'reoessed onsits edge'iace to extend over the bolt.V f 'In testimony Signature?. 5* Y' edge 'of 'thev r supporting block being surfacerof theV railjbase, and a bolt passing' K through the supporting block and Arail and being ydisposed, belowthe lower edge'of thel head piece.`V y

i' on the inain rail including ahead piece and 7. Theconibination with a railway'switchl pointfanda main rail, of a guard mounted 1 a 'supportingl block, the Vheadepiece.resting i upon .the uppervedge:y of thesupporting block and being formed with a blade which Vhas a;

iongieuainanyand vertically 'rounded outer surface, .'thefhead vpiecehavingV a 'portion 'eX- tending downwardiagainstthev inner'j;surface 'A Y of thefupper portion 'ofthesupportinglblock,V

- Y tlieiiace ofthe end lpiece confrontingthe upf 45.

perfedge face ofthe supporting block being interdigitatedl therewith, and farboltfp'arsa, V-

f ingthroughV thesupporting blockz"andfv ,Y y through thepwebof the-rail, the'suprporting block `:being .at all times. spaced from 'the' a" web oifthe railL whereby it may be drawnfin -v ward by the bolt and have wedgingengage` firIentWiththerail, i z f 8; lThe eoinbination'L 'with ya f anda -Inainrailfofafguard disposed ini-adj; s, vanne of-.the switch point', 'and includingjaj s :head piece anda supporting block, the supe v y. Y ,-portin'gblock restingl-f'o'n the base of the rail and therhead piece-resting on top 'pf the sup` tudinallyand .vertically taperin'gouterrsur-'` ,l Ylac'eyand a boltpassing through thesupport-: 1f.v f

` ing block andthrough the-web'of the rail,

said Vbolt being disposed Abelow s theloweredge ofthe head piece.' n a 1 '95,. The Combination Vwith a railway rail, of-

whereofl I hereunto aiiixkkmy l #LYLE t 

